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"Do you think he can hear me right now?"
This week, I had the awesome pleasure to sit down with Sammy Kay and talk about her career as a songwriter and an artist. Sammy has been busy with her side hustles, her part-time jobs, and building an artist career for herself. Being a songwriter can be rewarding and a struggle sometimes. For this one single, Sammy Kay mentioned that it took a solid three days in the studio and fifteen hours. She would drive back home to Indiana to record Apt. 419 then drive back to Nashville. Like many songwriters, Sammy Kay wears many hats: promoter, social media manager, and songwriter. She has great co-writers and friends behind her and her music.
Co-writing has been crucial for Sammy Kay and she mentioned that it’s important to find your people. You don’t have to write with fifty people, you can write solid music with a set group of writers. It is hard to get to know people and tear your guard down to write a song. You are essentially pouring your heart out for everyone to hear. While getting her degree in Songwriting and Music Business from Belmont University, Sammy Kay was often paired up with other songwriters for assignments to co-write, and that helped her become the writer she is today.
Sammy Kay and I played a writers round at Belcourt Taps the other night and I got to hear her new single Apt. 419 before the release day. Let me tell you if you’ve been waiting for another Red Version Taylor Swift, here she is. I swear to you all reading this, I turned my head and was transported to when Taylor Swift released her album, Red. It was sweet and had a cute melody. The chords were unique and sounded very indie. To hear the song stripped down was a big change from the full production. The song takes you through a story about a girl falling in love with her neighbor who lives above her. They sing the same songs and seem to have all the same interests, but have yet to meet.
"APT. 419 was a long process. I love recording back home where I came from at Round Table Recording Company. I get great vibes from them and I always had a good feeling about them. They paired me with Jackson Ward and Miles Burke who produced and programmed. They had me a part of the process so a lot of driving back and forth. They gave me creative freedom with it. The reference track for this song was Kasey Musgraves," Sammy Kay.
This song has great instrumentation and programming on it. The electric guitar is fun and the beat behind it drives home that indie-pop sound. You're going to want to dance around in your room singing into your hairbrush to this song. There is a great distinct difference between the electric guitar and acoustic parts. The harmonies are fantastic and there's a good balance within the entire song.
Sammy Kay adds fun parts into Apt 419 like laughing and talking, which I think is unique and takes the listening back to 2000s pop. Apt. 419 is a fun, upbeat song that clocks in around 2min42sec, which in my opinion is the perfect length for a song to be radio-ready. Apt. 419 is the sister song, the alter ego of Kasey Musgraves, "Butterflies."
"I usually have the idea or title first, then I start on the melody right away so I sing gibberish until words come out. It's different with co -writers and I mainly write by myself. I’m a perfectionist and a people pleaser so it’s hard. Music is my life."
Apt. 419 Credits
Written by: Sammy Kay
Vocals: Sammy Kay
Guitar: Miles Burke
Bass: Jackson Ward
Programming: Jackson Ward and Miles Burke
Producer: Jackson Ward
Engineer: Jackson Ward
Assistant Engineer: Miles Burke
Editing: Jackson Ward and Miles Burke
Mixing: Jackson Ward
Mastering: Jackson Ward
Recorded at Round Table Recording Studio
Upcoming Shows:
9/26 Nashville Tour Stop @ Belcourt Taps 6pm
9/27 Donelson Pub 10pm
10/13 Big Machine Distillery Downtown 3-5pm
10/17 Big Machine Distillery Downtown 11-1pm
10/21 Cabana Taps 7pm
10/23 Courtney's Restaurant (Mt. Juliet) 8pm
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I was at that Beclourt show and felt that old T Swift vibe. 😀